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In November 2022, voters approved an amendment to Maryland's constitution legalizing the adult use of recreational marijuana. The legislature must pass legislation governing licensing, regulation, and taxation to allow adults to buy marijuana starting July 1, 2023. Starting in January 2023, poss...

A felon in possession of a firearm, a mandatory 5-year sentence, was dismissed because of an illegal search of the client's vehicle. The judge agreed with C. Thomas Brown's argument that the police improperly prolonged a traffic stop waiting for a K-9.  Under Maryland law, the police must proces...

Tina Haris obtained not guilty verdicts in a first-degree assault jury trial.  This was the first, and to date, the only jury trial after the court reopened after Covid-19.  Once again, Ms. Harris' trial preparation and closing argument (according to court personnel and other observers) saved the...

Bail for a newly arrested defendant is being held daily. COVID-19 has closed the courts to the public, and cases through April 2020 are being rescheduled.

DUI charge reduced to reckless driving

        Our client was found not guilty on First- and Second-Degree Assault charges on a Maryland State Trooper after two jury trial. The client was initially arrested for DUI after an automobile accident on Route 40 near the Food Lion in Elkton, MD.  After being handcuffed and placed in the p...

I have affiliated with Cecil County immigration lawyer Christina Harris-Schlecker to assist with non-U.S. citizen individuals charged with crimes. The immigration/deportation consequences for non U.S. citizens charged with criminal offenses can be very harsh and it is important to throughly analy...

It has never been more critical for non-citizens to have proper immigration advice when facing criminal charges. The new Administration has stated that it will become very aggressive by attempting to deport non-citizens convicted of certain crimes. Green card holders are not exempt from possible...

A Not Guilty verdict following a recent trial representing a State Trooper charged with assaulting his former significant other/ mother of his children avoided the harsh realities of loss of employment after a criminal conviction. Being convicted of a crime can have severe consequences including ...

Two weeks ago, the State dismissed all charges including attempted murder and first degree assault charges against my client involving a shooting at a local motel. There were evidentiary issues related to statements and cell phones that we raised, and the State elected not to proceed with the cas...

When charged with DUI or DWI, it is important to understand that there are administrative sanctions that occur even if a person is never convicted in court. There are also administrative sanctions and penalties that may occur after a conviction that involve point assessments as well as the new pr...

There seems to be a lot of confusion from clients regarding their license suspension when charged with driving under the influence or driving while impaired. Adding to the confusion, is what happens to the out of state drivers licensed in another State. Here's a brief overview. TEST REFUSAL-a Ma...

It has been over a year since my last post so I will be updating my blog with the latest local news related to criminal law/DUI, recent cases as well as some off topic (OT) issues that may be of interest. My goal is to keep this updated and relevant. There are now two judicial openings in Cecil ...

I have recently encountered several CDL license holders charged with DUI while driving a non-commercial vehicle. Navigating through the court system and MVA can be a minefield of problems and issues in an attempt to preserve the CDL. MVA has become very aggressive in monitoring MVA hearings and ...

On June 30, 2014, the Court of Appeals of Maryland held that offenders who are not required to register as sex offenders by the state of Maryland cannot be required by federal law to do so. Like the courts of several other states, including Ohio, Maine, and Indiana, Maryland's highest court found...

In a "sweeping embrace of digital privacy," the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that police must obtain a search warrant prior to examining the contents of a cell phone they have taken from an individual after they have been arrested. According to the Court, the digital information contained on a...

The view of at least one federal judge in Maryland regarding federal prosecution of serious marijuana cases citing that "equal justice" mandated a lesser sentence than the sentencing guidelines. http://www.baltimoresun.com/ news/maryland/crime/blog/bs- md-ci-marijuana-sentence-reduced-20131028,0...

A potential one year license suspension was reduced to a reprimand and no suspension at a MVA Administrative Hearing. The suspension or revocation of one's drivers license can have severe consequences including loss of employment and incarceration as a result of a conviction for driving while sus...

C. Thomas Brown was able to have Ist Degree Burglary charges reduced to 2nd Degree Assault with a Probation Before Judgment disposition with unsupervised probation in the Circuit Court for Cecil County, MD. Each case is different but if you are facing criminal or serious motor vehicle charges con...

The Circuit Court for Cecil County, Maryland granted my motion to supress evidence involving an automobile stop and search resulting in the discovery of a large quanity of herion and crack cocaine. The stop of the automobile was based upon a police undercover investigation; however, the court rul...

On September 6, 2012 at a motions hearing in the Circuit Court for Cecil County, the State dismissed three counts of crack cocaine distribution charges against my client. The case involved alleged hand-to-hand buys by a confidential informant; however, the State elected not to proceed when substa...

On September 6, 2012, in the Circuit Court for Cecil County, MD I was able to convince the State to dismiss felony cocaine charges including possession with the intent to distribute (PWID) and the use of a handgun in a drug transaction (mandatory 5 years) in exchange for a plea to simple possessi...

Maryland State Police continue the aggressive enforcement of speeding violations on I-95 in Cecil County, MD. These charges can impact your ability to drive, employment and insurance rates. To contest these charges or attempt to avoid a conviction, reduction of the fine and points, please note:...